Another piece of Milwaukee’s starting lineup puzzle has been put in place: Kevin Porter Jr. will open the season as the lead point guard for the Bucks. Doc Rivers confirmed the designation after practice
yesterday in response to a question from The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. The waiving of Damian Lillard earlier this offseason left behind a gaping hole at PG with no clear heir lined up. Some thought the young Ryan Rollins may start at the point, but it will be Porter Jr. who gets the nod. Here’s Doc’s full quote:
“You think about Scoot and his career, he started off as a high draft pick. He started. They put the ball in his hands. He could literally take any shot and he did, you know, and now he comes from that, from not playing at times, coming off the bench, being out of the league to now back to starting and that’s a huge responsibility for him to run the team and still be aggressive. That’s the hardest thing to do, I think, in basketball is from the point guard, understand when and when. It’s just hard and so I’m sure at times he’ll be great at it and then at times he may struggle at it, but we’ll support him and get him right.”
As Doc noted, Porter has been a starter for the majority of his NBA career. He opened 143 of his 146 games with the Rockets between 2021 and 2023, making him more familiar with this role than Milwaukee’s other point guards (he’s started nearly two times as many games as Rollins has played in total). During his time in Houston, KPJ put up some eye-popping numbers, averaging 17.2 points and 6.0 assists overall. However, as Doc pointed out, he was allowed to take “literally any shot”. In his new major role with the Bucks, Porter will need to play more disciplined and team-friendly basketball than he did with the tanking Rockets. However, discipline isn’t exactly part of his game (or off-court demeanor). Porter is a streaky player, a tough-shot taker who has stretches of awesomeness and stretches of horrendousness. Players like him are usually most successful as sixth men. Part of the reason why KPJ looked so good with Milwaukee in 2024-25 was the fact that he came off the bench.
So, is starting him really the best idea? The answer is yes, because there just frankly isn’t another good option. Ryan Rollins has potential and can make an impact as a role player right now, but he’s nowhere near established enough to be a starter for a team with playoff aspirations, barring a big breakout. Cole Anthony is another microwave guy best suited for a bench part, and his ceiling is much lower than KPJ’s (especially on defense). Running point Giannis for a full season could be a serious injury risk.
The way the new-look Bucks are composed means they’ll be doing a lot of gambling with their rotation this year. Guys will need to step up and make leaps for this team to make real noise. Kevin Porter Jr. is their best bet at point guard because there is a world where he posts numbers similar to what he did in Houston while cutting down on boneheaded mistakes. If you don’t think we live in that world, be reassured by the fact that he could have his starting spot snatched later in the year, given how loosely he holds it right now. A massive jump from Rollins isn’t completely out of the question.
Time will tell if things need to change, but for now, KPJ is officially the starting point guard for the Bucks. With Giannis and Myles Turner locking down the frontcourt, that leaves the two and the three as the last unfilled spots in the opening lineup. Gary Trent Jr. and Kyle Kuzma are the leaders in the clubhouse, but AJ Green, Taurean Prince, and maybe even Amir Coffey are options too. Training camp and the upcoming preseason should quickly provide answers to the question marks at those spots.
